Wadapartja is a quirky eatery and shop in Groningen. They are open every day, offering a variety of foods for breakfast, lunch, and in-betweens. Dinner is available on Wednesday to Saturday as well. The food served is a mixture of different influences; from sandwiches to roti, from pasta to curry. Local products, such as beer, vegetables and bread is used. This local influence is also present in the names of the dishes, which are mostly word plays with the Groninger dialect. Wadapartja also does catering, take out and delivery.

Daily juice, soup and some of the desserts

There interior is nice and inviting, creating a cozy ‘at home’ feeling. All items in the restaurant are also for sale. When we visited for lunch it was very busy! For some reason the toilets are upstairs, so be aware of that if you visit and are less mobile.

The vegan options are clearly marked on the menu; some dishes are vegan, others can be made vegan. There is enough choice for sure! We decided to try the roti wrap (vegan) and the beanilicious burger (vegetarian with vegan option) with vegan mayo and potato wedges. Unfortunately when they served us the burger it turned out to be the vegetarian version, which has a slice of cheese. I almost didn’t notice it since vegan cheese looks a lot like the ‘standard’ version nowadays, but the server realised the mistake before I ate the burger. Phew! But yeah, be aware.

Roti wrap with masala sauce

The roti wrap is stuffed with vegetables, and is served with a masala sauce. It was nice! The vegan burger, served on a nice bun, is made of beans and corn. It is served with some chips, which are tasty and a bit spicy. I liked the baked potato wedges too.

Potato wedges with vegan mayonnaise

There is one vegan dessert on the menu, but it is not marked! It is a brownie, served with caramel. It was nice, sweet, but not too sweet. I asked why it was not marked as vegan. I believe the idea behind it is that non-vegans might not order a vegan brownie, and this was a way to expose non-vegans to vegan food. While I think it might be true, as a vegan I prefer it if stuff is marked properly 🙂

“Secretly” vegan brownie with oat latte

Overall I liked the food at Wadapartja, even though they mixed up the order with the burger. The atmosphere is nice, the food is good. The service takes some time, but it was kind of expected since it was busy and a lot of the food is made to order.

Hum:hum is a vegetarian restaurant in Kyiv. Rather, they call themselves a ‘theme restaurant’, though I am not sure, my guess is the theme is hummus! This staple vegan food is present in several of the dishes. The place has a nice atmosphere, it is very spacious and there is lots of green. It was a bit tricky to find since it is just at the corner of two streets, next to another restaurant.

As mentioned Hum:hum is a vegetarian place, and there are quite some vegan options too. On the menu it is marked which dishes are vegan and which are not. There are not many vegan main courses, but several dishes can be made vegan relatively simple. Hum:hum serves breakfast, lunch, dinner and everything in between. There is a single menu card (English version available!) for the whole day, which has wraps, warm main dishes, hummus (of course), pita and sides. For drinks there are juices, smoothies, beers, tea and coffee (can be served with several plant milks), and more!

When we visited of course we had to try the hummus! There are several kinds available, for example including curry carrots and white beans. You can add also some extras to the hummus, like falafel, caramelised onion, mushrooms. We tried the classic version (always good to establish a baseline for comparison!) with additional caramelised onions and vegetables sticks (chopped carrots and cucumber). The hummus is very good, with a soft taste. I can recommend adding the caramelised onions for a hint of sweetness. The pita served with the hummus is fluffy and a bit sweet.*

Cauliflower “Steak” over mashed vegetables

We also got a classic roll with falafel, hummus and sauce. The wrap was grilled, so the pita was nice and crunchy. It was richly filled and I really liked it! Lastly we tried the cauliflower steak on mashed root vegetables, with mushroom and olives. It was served with a spinach-based sauce, which was very great. Overall I really enjoyed this dish, it had a great earthy taste, warm and rich.

I really enjoyed the food and atmosphere at Hum:hum. When returned another time, the mains on the menu had slightly changed. The staff speaks some degree of English, which is convenient because my Ukrainian is still severely lacking. It was nice to see that the second time I visited there were some vegan desserts! A delicious brownie in fact. If there are no vegan desserts that day, fret not, because B12 is around the corner 🙂

One thing I noticed in many Kyivian restaurants is that the food service is a bit random (from a Western European point of view). If you are with someone it is possible that your table partner will get their food and you still have to wait for yours for a while. This also happened at Hum:hum, I guess it is more of a cultural thing. It is something I notice and want to mention, but with the context, it is not out of the ordinary 🙂

Melikrini is a small vegetarian café in Athens. They serve a variety of vegan options as well, including delicious cakes. The place itself is quite small, with relaxing music. The interior, while nicely decorated in a cute style, feels a bit stuffed. On the other hand, it is a welcome change from the minimalist hipster fare most vegan/vegetarian places seem to adhere too. There is a cosy, beautiful terrace, unfortunately next to a busy street and a building site, so it was not too pleasant to be outside.

Terrace outside

Melikrini serves breakfast, lunch and everything in between. The food varies; smoothies, cakes, salty pies and chocolates are some of the things sold when I was there. Melikrini call their food healthy, but that was not the first thing that I thought of when I saw their chocolate cake!

Desserts on the counter!

Unfortunately there is no English menu available, but the server was very kind and explained to us most of what is on the menu.

Smoothies at Melikrini, served with bamboo straws

For a drink we tried the soy banana pineapple smoothie and a detox juice. The drinks are served in pretty glasses with bamboo straws.

Slice of pizza and a slice of broccoli pie

We tried a piece of broccoli pie and a slice of pizza. The béchamel sauce in the pie was home made, and very good! The pizza was nice, it was topped with some fake cheese. I do have to say both of the items were pretty small for a main. I had written down “do not go here if you are hungry” but that was in the pre-dessert phase of this lunch. Now I think that the mains are deliberately small because the desserts are massive!

Chocolate pie, apple pie and coffee

There are several vegan desserts available. In fact, I believe all were vegan when we visited. We tried a piece of apple pie and a piece of chocolate pie. With it a Greek coffee, which was served with some fruit jam and raisins. There are several plant milk alternatives available for the coffee. So the apple pie was one of the best I have had, maybe only Planty makes a better one! The chocolate pie was made of dark chocolate and nuts, very intense taste.

Unfortunately we could only pay with cash, but I think it is not uncommon in Athens. The service was good, atmosphere pleasant.

SNCKBR? Yes, it is time for another place to get our healthy vegan junk food on! Amsterdam has the Vegan Junkfood Bar but Utrecht is coming on strong with SNCKBR. Fun fact, there were several other SNCKBR (3 I believe) which were non-vegan and they all closed, while the all-vegan SNCKBR is going strong! Survival of the fittest !

When I visited at the end of last year the places was called SNCKBR, but the name has been changed to Waku Waku in 2019. It seems the menu is largely the same, but it seems they wanted to get away from the ‘junk food’ idea.

View on the kitchen

We were in Utrecht, fresh of the plane, to get a late lunch. SNCKBR describes their dishes as healthy comfort food, they use fresh produce, and organic when possible. Their food is free from refined sugars and artificial additives. I am not sure if that makes it healthy, but reading their menu card I completely agree with the comfort food part! Think: fries, burgers, Peking luck, kibbeh, etc. The menu card also nicely notes any potential allergens that could be in the dishes. There is a lunch and a dinner card, which have some overlap.

Hello little monkey friend

The place itself is very spacious, and very nicely decorated. It is also conveniently located extremely close to Utrecht central station. It was not very busy when we visited, since we arrived at such a strange hour for lunch (few Dutch people would have lunch at 1430 :)). The atmosphere is very relaxed, and they played some Rolling Stones oldies. The waiting staff was superfriendly and we had some great conversations.

The food took a bit longer, probably because we arrived at a bit of a strange time between lunch and dinner. It was well worth the wait! First off, the presentation is more than beautiful. It was almost a shame to eat the food.

Burger with salad, and sweet potato fries with truffle mayo

The burger is served with salad and sauce. The salad consists of beets, potato and small carrots. The bun of the burger is nice and soft. I don’t know what the patty is made of, there is not really an overpowering taste, but it is a bit mushroom-y (according to me) or meat-y (according to a non-veggie). The sweet potato fries are served with mayonnaise and are delicious, and perfectly crispy.

Vegan “kapsalon”

The ‘double dutch kapsalon’ is a variation on the monstrosity, I mean eclectic combination of foods, called kapsalon; a layer of fries, a layer of shawarma, a layer of cheese and on top lettuce and a variety of sauces. The kapsalon served at SNCKBR consists of sweet potato fries, pulled jackfruit, vegan cheese and a salad similar to what is served with the burger.

SNCKBR serves several types of sodas, fresh juices, lemonades, coffee and tea. But they also served alcoholic drinks, like wine, beer, and cocktails. I had an elderflower lemonade which I think went very nicely with the food:)

Tiramisu, non-conventional presentation

For dessert there are several choices, there is a cake of the day, a brownie, fudge, and more! When we visited there was tiramisu on the menu, but I think it is no longer available. The tiramisu is prepared with speculoos and coconut yoghurt. I found the taste of speculoos overpowering, which I don’t mind since I love it, but it was not the tiramisu taste I had expected. I also tried the “kerststol”, a type of Dutch christmas bread which contains dried fruits, raisins and a centre of almond paste. Usually they are not vegan, so I was excited to try this vegan version! It was indeed very nice, a bit dry maybe.

Kerststol and latte

For the coffee there are several plant milks available, and you can even get vegan whipped cream! The coffee is served with a small chocolate, the perfect way to end a delicious vegan meal!

So my main problem with SNCKBR, or Waku waku, is that it is very far from where I live. The atmosphere of this place is great, the staff friendly and the food is just delicious!

Time for a review of another restaurant in Athens! Really, I went out a lot for food when I visited…the city is just full of great places to eat! This time, let’s talk about Yiantes. Yiantes is a Greek restaurant, located in the central Exarchia region,near the very touristic Plaka region, but in a slightly more off the standard-path region.

Beautiful garden terrace, but it was too dark to make a good picture 😦

This restaurant came as a recommendation from a Greek friend of mine. Initially we just passed by to check it out, since she had mentioned that, while the place is very nice, they might not have any vegan dishes.

They did.

On the daily menu which was posted outside, one dish was specifically labelled vegan. So of course I had to get back and try that dish in the evening!

Starters: stuffed leaves and fava bean paste!

Yiantes has room to sit inside, but most people will probably prefer to sit outside, on the beautiful garden terrace. Even on a late October evening, the weather was pleasant enough. The terrace, or garden, is split in a ‘true’ outside part, and a part with glass walls and ceiling. Downside is that we ate at proper Greek dining hours, so it was already getting pretty dark making it difficult to make pictures!

Rice and cabbage dish

Of course we were interested in trying the vegan dish from the daily menu but the standard menu card also has several vegan options for starters. We tried the stuffed vine leaves and fava beans with spring onion and capers. We also got some freshly baked bread to go with it. Cannot go wrong with that!

There are no vegan mains on the standard menu when we visited, but the daily menu had two vegan options (only one was labelled vegan), so that turned out well for us. The first dish was a dish with Greek pasta with tomatoes. I am not sure what made this pasta specifically Greek, it was like shorter but thicker spaghetti. We also tried the rice with cabbage dish. The combination of rice and cabbage is quite common in Eastern European food I believe. It was tasty, and quite filling.

Greek pasta with tomato sauce

I don’t believe there were any vegan desserts, but anyway, we had no more space for desserts! The service was very nice and friendly. I also enjoyed that the restaurant was not overly tourist-y, even though there were probably some tourists since the menu is also available in English and French. The atmosphere in the garden was very nice, and the food seemed pretty authentic to me, which is also a plus. However, as mentioned there are no vegan mains on the standard menu, so if you would want to eat here, check the daily specials.

Kolo is a completely vegan café in Kyiv which serves vegan food, like wraps, soups, salads and burgers. You can also come in for coffee, milkshakes, teas and sweets. The menu changes daily. You can order pies and I believe they do food delivery too.

Artsy and relaxed interior

The place itself is cute, a bit hipster, with brick walls and different types of art on the wall. We visited for coffee and a slice of cake. Unfortunately they were just out of cakes! But there were cupcakes, so we tried a carrot-cake cupcake. It was very tasty, and nicely moist. I had a blueberry milkshake (I love how many vegan places offer milkshakes in Kyiv!) which was good.

Blueberry milkshake and carrot cupcake

I have to say the service was a bit overzealous, they took my cup literally minutes after I finished my drink. Apart from that, it was a nice place to sit and relax a bit. I want to go back for a full meal! So there might be a part 2 to this review 🙂

Somehow I never really was exposed to Ethiopian and Eritrean food before coming to Switzerland. I am not sure how common Ethiopian restaurants are around the world, but it was somehow not on my radar. Which is very unfortunate since I have been missing out. Turns out Ethiopian food is delicious and great for vegans! I have discussed several Ethiopian restaurants on my blog and I actually go back to those quite often. So, if you still haven’t tried: you are missing out.

Once again, I want to iterate that with this article I will just provide a basic overview. The culture and cuisine of Ethiopia and Eritrea is, like all cultures, very extensive. Please check the sources below for more information. Especially the second link is full of information (it is a blog companion to a book)

Ethiopia and Eritrea

Notice in the title I mention Ethiopian and Eritrean cuisine. Eritrea used to be part of Ethiopia, it separated after a long fight for independence. The cuisines are quite similar, except in Eritrea, which has a coast, more seafood is consumed. Also, since this part was colonised by Italy longer, there are some specific pasta dishes found in Eritrea. I noticed several Ethiopian restaurants call themselves “Ethiopian and Eritrean” so I am sure they don’t mind I bunch them together here.

Sambusas at Awash (Geneva)

Ethiopia is a pretty special country with a history longer than most. Literally. Since some of the oldest modern human skeletons have been found in Ethiopia. It is also the region from where the first modern humans travelled to the Middle-East and beyond. And, little known fact maybe, but it was one of the first countries that adopted Christianity as a state religion. Christians still make up the greater part of the population, followed by Islam. While initially the Ethiopian Orthodox church was part of the Coptic Orthodox Church of Alexandria, it separated in 1959.

Food

Which is a nice segue to get onto the food, because that is what we are here to talk about! Orthodox Christianity prescribes several fasting days and periods, called tsom in the Ethiopian Orthodox Church, during which animal products are excluded from the menu (similar as Pist of Post in Ukraine). This means that Ethiopian cuisine has several specifically vegan dishes, which are commonly eaten during these fasting periods.

Most Ethiopian dishes are in the form of thick, spicy stews, called wat or wot. These stews are served on top of injera, a large, thin, circular pancake made of fermented teff flour. Teff is a type of grass, and one of the earliest cultivated plants. The injera has a very specific taste due to the fermentation, and an almost spongy texture. It serves as a plate, and also as utensils; pieces are torn of to scoop up the stews (with the right hand!). In most Ethiopian restaurants you don’t get utensils (unless you ask nicely:)) and I have to say learning to efficiently eat one-handedly was a bit of a struggle, but you’ll get the hang of it quickly.

Injera with salad and shiro wat – notice the holes in the injera – great for soaking up the stew juices!

During non-fasting days, different types of meat are used (apart from pork and shell-fish for religious reasons). Some dairy products are used, specifically clarified butter, niter kibbeh, for cooking (this is substituted by different types of oils during the fasting periods). Legumes such as lentils, chick peas, and split peas are used in stews as well. Common vegetables are potatoes, onions, garlic, chard, carrots, tomatoes. For spices, the ‘berbere’ spice mix, which contains chilli peppers is very common. Some less spicy stews rely more heavy on turmeric.

Desserts are not really part of the Ethiopian food culture. The desserts that are exist are mostly imported from other cultures, like from the Italian and Arabic cuisines. The Ethiopian restaurants I have been too mostly serve Western-style desserts, or baklava. Of course Ethiopian-style sweets and pastries do exist, they are just not commonly eaten as desserts.

Drinks

Of course you can find a lot of global brands of drinks, like soft drinks, beer and wine in Ethiopia. But there are also some specific traditional drinks. However, in restaurants outside of Ethiopia, those drinks might be less common.

Let’s start with one of the most important beverages in Ethiopia: Coffee. Traditionally it is made in a clay pot (jebena), and the beans are roasted on the spot. There is a whole coffee ceremony surrounding the drinking of coffee, which can take hours. Coffee is consumed with salt or sugar, and in some regions niter kibbeh is added to it.

For alcoholic beverages, there is tej (honey wine), tella (beer made from barley) and areki, a strong liquor made of grain. In general beer is the most popular alcoholic drink, and in many Ethiopian restaurants several kinds of Ethiopian beer are served in addition to the local drinks. Kenetto is a drink similar to tella, but without alcohol.

Mesob at a table at Zara2001 (Geneva)

Vegan dishes in Ethiopian restaurants

My exposure to Ethiopian food has purely been in restaurants outside of Ethiopia, so similar as for article on Indian food, there might be a Western cultural influence at play I am not aware of. What I have seen and eaten does line up with most of what I have read about the food, and most of the places I went to were also frequented by people from Ethiopia, so my guess is that it is relatively accurate. I do think the spiciness might be tuned down a bit 🙂

In all Ethiopian restaurants I have visited there is a clear distinction between the meat and vegetarian/vegan dishes on the menu card. In general the vegetarian dishes are okay for vegans to, just make sure there is no butter used. I found in most restaurants it is common to get several stews at once, which is similar to how the food is served in Ethiopia.

The stews are served on a (couple of) injera, and often accompanied by a salad made of greens, onions and tomatoes. Also, commonly the food is served in a sort of ‘sharing style’, where there is one main platter for several people. This platter is often presented in a mesob, a woven wicker basket. Traditionally these come on a foot, and all diners will sit around it to eat. Smaller versions that can fit on a dinner table exist as well.

Sambusa/samosa: dough triangles filled with lentils (vegan version). Served as a starter

Injera: the sour-dough pancake made of teff

Shiro wat : mild chick pea stew, made from powdered chick peas. When I first had it I thought it was made from peanuts! It is very soft and creamy. (Careful, it occasionally contains niter kebbeh!)

Misir wat: red lentil stew with berbere spices

Kik alecha: yellow split peas, the alecha is a milder type of stew made with turmeric

Gomen wat: Collard greens stew. I have mostly seen this dish made with spinach.

There are many more variations on these stews but these are the ones I have seen the most! Wow, writing this post made me crave some Ethiopian food! I am going to have to plan my next stop at an Ethiopian restaurant…I recently discovered some new ones 😀